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Learn all the ins and outs of the top fly fishing rivers in Montana, Alaska and Colorado. We help you plan your next fishing trip or fishing vacation to Belize, Montana, Alaska or Colorado.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Fly Fishing Catch and Release

I was surfing the net -http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/flyfish/candr.cfm

This is a great tool to help you understand how to catch and release on your next Fly Fishing Vacations!!! - www.bookfishing.com

----http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/flyfish/candr.cfm----------Increasing numbers of anglers are fishing our accessible waters and remote areas of the state. Continuation of Alaska's high quality sport fishing depends upon more anglers choosing to practice catch and release when fishing for our resident fish species. An objective of the Division of Sport Fish is to provide a diversity of fishing opportunities while assuring the conservation of Alaska's stocks of fish. You help do this when you harvest only those fish you will use and release the rest of your catch unharmed. Using catch and release techniques to land your fish when practicing selective harvest also assures you that the fish will be in the best possible physical condition when you make the decision to harvest it for food or to release it.

Choosing Your Tackle

Use strong line to bring your catch in quickly.

Fish caught with flies or lures survive at a higher rate than fish caught with bait.

Use hooks appropriate to the size of the fish.

Use pliers to pinch barbs on hooks down.

Landing Your Catch

Land your fish as carefully and quickly as possible.

Avoid removing the fish from the water.

Do not let fish flop about in shallow water, on the ground, or in the bottom of your boat.

Use landing nets made with soft or knotless mesh.

Handling Your Catch

Keep your fish in the water.

Cradle large fish gently with both hands: one under its belly, one at the tail.

Keep your fingers out of and away from the gills and eyes.

Use wet hands or wet cloth gloves to handle the fish.

Never squeeze the fish.

Support your fish in the water while your partner takes your picture. Fish can not remain healthy out of water for longer than you can hold your breath.

Removing Your Hook

Use long nose pliers to back the hook out.

Remove the hook quickly, keeping the fish underwater.

When the fish is hooked deeply, cut the line to release the fish. If the fish is bleeding form the gills, it is likely to die and you should keep it as part of your bag limit.

Use steel hooks that will rust out, avoid stainless steel hooks.

Reviving Your Catch

Keep your catch in the water at all times. If you want to take a photograph, have the photographer get ready, then lift the fish barely out of the water (unless prohibited by regulation e.g. king salmon in Cook Inlet) and quickly return it to the water.

Point your catch into a slow current, or gently move it back and forth until its gills are working properly and it maintains its balance. When the fish recovers and attempts to swim away, let it swim from your hands.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Western Water Project

Copyright 2006 Trout Unlimited:---VERY IMPORTANT FISHING INFORMATIONWild and native trout need water, every day. They need enough water to hide from predators, find food, migrate and reproduce. In many parts of the West, where water is scarce, there is not enough water left in rivers to support robust trout populations - and sometimes, there is not enough water for any fish at all.

Western water laws place little value on water that is not diverted for human purposes. Consequently, mining, agricultural and municipal users often drain rivers dry during certain times of the year. Shortage of water, and dramatic alterations to natural flow patterns, are some of the primary reasons why many of the West's native cutthroat and wild trout species, as well as almost all western salmon and steelhead populations, are in trouble.

Of all of threats to trout and salmon, the issue of leaving enough water in rivers is perhaps the most difficult to address. There's an old saying in the West that still holds true: "Whiskey's for drinkin', but water's for fightin'." Legal rights for water left in the rivers - "instream flows" -- are either not recognized by states, or are of low priority in a legal system that gives highest priority for use to people who hold the oldest (most "senior") rights.

To tackle the problem of dry and depleted rivers in the West, Trout Unlimited (TU) started the Western Water Project in 1997. In partnership with WaterWatch of Oregon, TU opened offices in Montana and Colorado staffed with experienced water law attorneys. The goal of these offices is to protect and restore water in rivers for healthy fisheries and to open up state decisions on water allocation to meaningful public participation.

The success of the Western Water Project's efforts in Colorado and Montana has led to the opening of additional offices in Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and California.

In just five years of operation, the Western Water Project had made a real difference. Here are a few of our accomplishments:

* The Montana Water Project has secured water leases in several chronically dewatered basins, including the largest instream flow lease ever completed in the Western U.S. by a private group (totaling more than 220 cfs on three tributaries of the upper Madison River). * Thanks in large part to work by the Colorado Water Project, the Colorado legislature successfully passed a bill in the 2002 legislative session to improve stream flows in Colorado. SB 156 expands the state's instream flow program to allow acquisition of senior water rights for conversion to instream flow rights. The new law also allows these rights to be used for "reasonable" flows to improve the environment, whereas the law previously allowed only "minimum" flows to maintain existing environmental conditions. * In February 2003, the Utah Water Project signed a settlement agreement with PacificCorp and state and federal agencies to decommission the American Fork Hydro Electric Project. This project is located in the popular American Fork Canyon and covers portions of a national forest, a national monument, and a wilderness area. Under the terms of the agreement, PacificCorp will remove a diversion dam and pipeline, restore the stream to a more natural condition, ensure fish passage, and transfer the water right to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to maintain adequate flows. * In 2003, the Wyoming Water Project was instrumental in convening a study committee under the Joint Agriculture Committee to review Wyoming's water law and propose legislative options, the start of a process to facilitate privately held water rights to benefit instream flows and aquatic ecosystems.

fly fishing tips - catch and release

MMThese guidelines are generic but remembering them will give all species of fish a greater chance of survival. A fish is too valuable to be caught and enjoyed only once, be responsible.

MM Use barbless hooks or circle hooks (especially when bait fishing, see circle hook article), or pinch the barb flat with pliers. If you use a net, use one made of cotton mesh or rubber. It is less harmful to fish scales, gills and eyes. Only net your fish if it is the only way to control it.MMWet your hands when handling fish. Dry hands and gloves will remove its protective mucous (slime) coating and scales. These protective layers help prevent infection by waterborne disease. Do not beach a fish or let it flop around the deck of the boat.MMTry not to remove the fish from the water. If you must, be quick and gentle, do not squeeze the fish. Do not hold the fish near the gills or eyes (Pike, Muskie, Snook, etc.) Needle nose pliers, hemostats, de-hookers etc., will speed up the removal of a deep set hook.MMTo revive the fish, hold it under the belly and by the tail, keep it in an upright position underwater, do not move the fish back and forth** (this is also a good time to get a measurement and take a photo). If you are fishing in a river or stream, hold the fish facing the current. Be patient and give the fish as much time as it needs to recover and swim away on its own. MMUse the right tools! See this helpful guide from Bass Pro Shops

The most important survival factors are:

MMLine test - Always use the heaviest line possible for each species of fish. Again: the longer you fight a fish, the more lactic acid is built up, the more exhausted it becomes, the greater the chance it will not survive. This is particularly true when fishing large saltwater species such as billfish.MMHook Location - It would be ideal if all fish were hooked in either the upper or lower lip, unfortunately, this is not always the case. When fishing with small lures or live bait the chance for hooking a fish deep in the gullet or in the gills is very high. Try to back the hook out the way it went in. Never pull on the line when the hook is lodged deep in the gullet. Cutting the line and returning the fish to the water as quickly as possible will give it its greatest chance for survival. The longer a fish is out of water and the more you practice your surgical techniques, the less the fish has a chance to live.MMDepth - When fishing depths of 30 feet or greater, you should bring a fish up slowly to the boat. This sometimes allows the fish to decompress (adjust to the change in water pressure). Pause while reeling the fish in and allow the air or gas from the fishes swim bladder to rise to the surface. See our attached news on “How to Deflate a Fish”.MMWater Temperature - Playing a fish for an extended period of time in warm water increases its chance of dying. When the water temperature is high fish tire much more rapidly due to the increase of lactic acid that builds in their system. When fishing warm water get the fish to you as soon as possible, use a heavier line test than usual.

*We have revised the above guidelines according to suggestions made by our Catch & Release Task Force below.**There is a currently difference in opinion amongst the experts about whether or not to move the fish back and forth when reviving. We will keep you posted with any statistical information as it comes available.

Monday, January 30, 2006

Colorado Fishing Vacation

Fishing the rivers around Aspen and Basalt Colorado is one of the best ways to really experience the Colorado outdoors! Our guides will float you down the Roaring Fork or Colorado Rivers. Or enjoy a wade fishing trip to a remote Colorado lake or the popular Frying Pan River!

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Fly Fish South America

Have you ever dreamed of fishing almost untouched water where some fish have never seen a fly let alone a human being? Well here is your chance to fish the famed Esquel region with the most experienced guides in Argentina. Contact us now to talk about your next fly fishing vacation to Argentina.

Monday, December 12, 2005

USA Today Fly Fishing Goes Uptown

From pheasant lodges in South Dakota to elk-hunting resorts in New Mexico, owners are renovating their facilities, offering recreational activities for families and enticing more couples with romantic getaways.In the luxury and corporate markets, more executives and other rich folks are buying properties to build outdoor resorts for business clients and the public, said Helen Sevier,publisher of Stratos, a magazine for corporate and private jets.Some 80% of Stratos readers hunt or fish, so Sevier plans next spring to publish a worldwide directory of hunting and fishing resorts."Absolutely, this is a growing market segment," Sevier said. "People are willing to pay for the quality of the experience."The Rough Creek Lodge near Glen Rose, Texas, is an 11,000-acre spread with hunting grounds, hiking trails and fishing lakes.Corporate guests — such as Nokia, ExxonMobil and JPMorgan Chase — participate in team-building contests that include archery, target shooting, all-terrain-vehicle races and chili cook-offs. Families ride horses and mountain bikes through oak-filled forests, said lodge general manager Paul Boccafogli.Read More Here

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Fly Fishing Vacation

Want the best fly fishing vacation this year?Thirty miles off the coast of Belize, Turneffe Flats is located on the Turneffe Atoll, the largest of the three coral atolls off the coast of Belize and one of only four coral Atolls in the Western Hemisphere. Turneffe is remote and beautiful with crystal clear waters noted for a parade of marine life. The Turneffe Atoll is approximately 30 miles in length and 10 miles wide.The Turneffe Atoll is noted for its variety of saltwater fly fishing. Plentiful bonefish, permit and tarpon make Turneffe Flats one of the rare spots in the world where you have a legitimate shot at a Grand Slam. There are also a number of other game fish resident to the area, creating a unique diversity of saltwater fly fishing options. Book your trip now for the Saltwater fishing vacation of a lifetime!

Montana Flyfishing

We offer world class guided montana fly fishing on Southwest Montana's renowned rivers, lakes, and private spring creeks. There is access to literally hundreds of miles of fishable water within an easy drive from our base of operation here in Bozeman, Montana. We welcome anglers of all skill levels and interests.

Fly Fishing Vacations and Fishing Trips

This posting system will keep you uptodate on flyfishing and fishing vacations. Our tips and tricks will get you the best fishing and flyfishing information around.Be sure to check out www.bookfishing.com for all the info you need to get started.